HOW TO REPAIR A CRACK IN THE HOBIE MIRAGE DRIVE WELL
I have successfully repaired a crack in the forward part of the mirage drive well that went from the bottom of the kayak up into the front wall of the mirage drive well. It took several tries but I finally got it to stop leaking and it has been working fine for years now. Here is how I did it.
Equipment needed:
A plastic welder, the one from Harbor freight works just fine.
A piece of stainless steel screening (the harbor freight hot knife has some stainless steel screening included with the Harbor freight welder..
Some extra plastic pieces of the same kind and color as your kayak (color really does not matter). Do not use the plastic that comes with the Harbor Freight plastic welder. It is not the proper type.
Tamarron Technologies Tam Tech Adhesive plus the special dispenser and mixing nozzle. Here is the link to it: This stuff is great!!!
http://www.tamarrontechnology.biz/store/adhesives.htmlRepair Procedure:
Plug in the plastic welder and let it get good and hot, about 5 minutes.
Clean area around the entire crack using alcohol or acetone.
Using the side edge of the plastic welder press it down into the crack to melt the sides of the crack together to seal it.
Cut a piece of the stainless steel screen wider and longer than the crack by at least 1/4 inch or more if room allows it. Fit the screen to go from the bottom of the kayak and around the bend into the inside wall area of the mirage drive well where the crack is. Try to shape the screen so it fits into the area snugly.
This is where having some extra plastic of the same kind the kayak is made from come in very handy. If you do not have any extra plastic it will probably still work.
With the stainless steel screen patch in place use the plastic welder to melt the screen into the plastic of the kayak. This takes time and patience. Hold the flat part of the welder directly on the screen and as the plastic melts apply enough pressure so that the screen goes into the plastic. Move the welder to melt the entire piece of screen into the kayak. This will not look good but beauty is not our goal here. It will take several attempts to get the plastic screen embedded into the kayak. Make sure the screen is more or less totally inside the plastic. Let it cool for a few minutes.
Mix a sufficient amount of the Tamarron Tech glue to entirely cost the area you just repaired and use enough to be sure that the entire area is coated including inside the mirage drive well where the crack was. Also put a layer of the Tamarron Tech glue on the inside of the kayak where the crack was to be sure it is sealed from the inside so no more water can seep in. You can reach this area from the front hatch.
Let it all dry and cure for a couple of days and then take it for a test in your local lake. It should not leak and the bond is very strong. Sand it down on the bottom of the yak to smooth it out and make it look nicer. Be careful not to get too much glue up into the area where the mirage drive fits into the well or it might interfere with putting the mirage drive in place.
That is how I successfully repaired it and it is still going strong years later. Good luck.